Solace
by DaBananaLord
Summary: Space is a terrible place for the unprepared. It can drive a man to desperation, facing the eternal abyss with nothing to look to for guidance or support. It is the type of place that pushes people to their breaking points, and it is then that they turn to madness.
1. Hero Info

**Little bit of game info, if you're into that. Feel free to ignore otherwise.**

 **Solus**

 _Overview_

Appearance: Wears a puffy vacuum suit, complete with dome-shaped reflective helmet, on his body. Over that is a mechanical exoskeleton that is painted yellow. The exoskeleton comes with large, pneumatic boots and a plated harness, with reinforcing frames extending along the limbs. The exoskeleton adds half a foot of height to him, putting him at 6'7". On his back is a pair of cylindrical containers. One has a flame painted on it, with a tube attached that runs down the right arm and feeds into Solus' plasma torch, which is crudely duct taped under his nail rifle. The other canister, which is larger and attached to the spine of the exoskeleton, has a biohazard label on it. It has cables running from the top of it to all of the extremities along the suit.

Solus' nail rifle is held firmly in his right hand, with a cable running from it to the reactor on his back. The barrel is rectangular, with a section near the rear of it that slides back to reveal the clip that hold its ammunition. Even further back, just above the grip, is the chamber that connects directly to the canister on the under-barrel. The rear of the gun is bolted into the exoskeleton. Under the rifle's barrel is the plasma torch, which is a round canister that has a well-charred nozzle jutting from the front. The canister has small air filters along the side that drag in gas for the purpose of being superheated in the torch. A hose attached to the back runs up the exoskeleton's arm and into the gas canister on Solus' back. On the bottom of the canister, by the rear, is a box with a warning label halfway scraped off of it. It contains the device used to ignite the fuel from the hose. The entire contraption appears long and rather clumsy for a normal person, but not for an engineer in an engineering suit.

In Solus' left hand is a fuel canister, which is tall and cylindrical. The valve typically found on the top has been replaced with a boxy device that has a handle and a pin attached to the side. When Solus throws the canister, he unpins it with his thumb. Sparks fly out of the opening as it sails through the air, and it bursts into flames and shrapnel on contact with a surface or enemy.

Role: Tank

Difficulty: 2 stars

Health: 400

Armor: 200

Gas (Unique Resource): 200, regenerates at 40/second

Solus takes charge of the battlefield, using his tools and his mechanized suit as powerful weapons that force the enemy to him and away from his allies. He can use his Pneumatic Thrusters to launch himself into the enemy and incinerate them, as well as apply his Canister Bomb to cut off escape routes.

 _Abilities:_

Nail Rifle (Left-Click): Solus fires heated electromagnetic spikes from his makeshift combustion rifle. It is inaccurate and slow, but packs a punch. (Clip: 30 gas/shot. Damage: 60 per hit.)

Plasma Torch (Right-Click): Formerly a welding tool, Solus' torch blasts superheated plasma in a wide cone. (Clip: 20 gas/second. Damage: 40/second)

Canister Bomb (E): Solus throws a fuel canister armed with a detonator, which explodes on contact to create a burning zone. (Costs 50 gas. Cool down: 6 seconds. Duration: 10 seconds.) (Burn damage: 60/second. Exploding Damage: 100.)

Pneumatic Thrusters (L-Shift): Solus takes a moment to charge before launching himself into the air. Activating in the air sends him catapulting down, causing damage in an area around him and stunning enemies that he lands directly on.

Dead Zone (Q): Solus vents intense radiation from his suit's reactor, dealing damage and slowing enemies in an area around him.

 _Biography_

Real Name: Saul Urien, Age: 26

Occupation: Engineer (formerly), Arsonist

Base of Operations: Vulcan Orbital Station (formerly)

Affiliation: None

Tagline: "Everything breaks. Everything burns."

Once an accomplished mechanical engineer, Saul has now become an obsessive force of destruction, barely restrained by the last vestiges of his morality.

In the renewed push to explore deeper into space, the Vulcan Orbital Station was sent into Earth's orbit act as a base from which to launch further expeditions once the means became available. It featured a collection of some of Earth's finest engineers and scientists, both biological and synthetic. Initially, the station showed promise when an intercepted asteroid led to the discovery of a (extremely radioactive) gas that had the capability of restoring itself after being expended, denying previously established thermodynamic laws. This potentially limitless source of power became the cornerstone of future developments, advancing the expected timeline leading to advanced space flight by decades, if not centuries.

This changed when tensions between the omnics and the humans of the station hit a breaking point. News that had trickled in over time detailing the increasing struggle between the two sides on Earth had lasting effects on the people of Vulcan. Years of suppressed anger eventually exploded outward, and the entire population of the station split into two sides. Before long, fighting began and proceeded to push the inhabitants involved over the edge. One fateful day, a bioweapon was released in the commons of the station. The weapon was called Project Z-33, and it took the form of a fungus that forcefully invaded everything it touched and tore into it in the search for sustenance. Omnics were overgrown and torn apart from within. Humans were infected, and the fungus leeched nutrients from their bodies while invading their nervous system and shutting it down. All this did was stir conflicting embers into a raging inferno, plunging the station into its own Omnic War.

Saul was one of the engineers on Vulcan. He was assigned to ship repair and maintenance, which required the use of a heavy duty powered suit and industrial-grade tools. He was doing external maintenance on the station when Z-33 was released, and he returned to a station in chaos. Humans and omnics were warring against each other as the deadly fungus consumed the station at an alarming rate. Death was everywhere. Unsure of how to handle the situation properly, Saul found himself fighting off both sides in self-defense while trying to avoid Z-33. As he holed up and tried to defend himself, all of the other living members of Vulcan tore each other apart. Saul was alone on the ship, something that quickly brought ruin to his psyche. As he travelled deeper into the station, trying to get to the main control room, he found himself using his tools - now weapons - to incinerate the dead and the dying. He kept trying to find someone who could help him handle the situation, but all he found were overgrown corpses and suffering beings. Those that lived were killed in mercy. His respect for life and companionship quickly dwindled, leaving emptiness and grim determination.

The madness didn't end until Saul destabilized the station's Omnium core and sent it hurtling to Earth as radiation killed Z-33. Throughout the entire crisis, Saul's suit kept him from being significantly wounded physically, but it did nothing to help him mentally. When the station's incinerated remains fell into the Atlantic Ocean, Saul was huddled in a life pod. He made his way to shore, and began walking the earth as a purposeless, broken man. The only comfort he has left is in chaos, the only time when his mind is empty and his path is clear.

 _Voice Lines/Emotes_

*most are delivered in a hushed whisper.*

"RUN."

"Sorry. So sorry."

"Cleansed in flame."

"Stop. Stop. Stop."

"No, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO…"

*incoherent mumbling*

*aimless humming*

"Burn. It. All."

"More. MORE."

*noise of disgust* "Tastes like napalm."

"Wh-where am I?"

In-Game

Hero Selection: "I… I am Solus."

Pre-fight: "The words, they itch. Crawling around."

"They're coming for me. Or am I coming for them?"

"Waiting. Aching."

Hello: *hesitant wave* "hhnhnnng"

"hhhhHEY."

Thank: "Forgive me."

"Sorry. So sorry."

Acknowledge: "Mhm. Mhm."

"I hear."

Low Health: "The end. It comes."

Need health: "Wounded. Heal."

"Dying. Need healing."

Group Up: "Behind me. Please."

Plasma Torch Kill: "Embrace it."

"Cleanse it all."

"Slowly. Gently. Cleanly."

Landing on Enemies: "Here."

"FINISH IT."

"As above, SO BELOW."

Canister Bomb: "No escaping."

"Trapped. Doomed."

Ultimate Status (Charging): "Not ready. Soon."

Ultimate Status (Charged): "The time has come. It hungers."

Ultimate Triggered: "SUFFER FOR ME."

*Other players always hear alarms coming from the exoskeleton. Player controlling Solus has all sound muffled except for Solus' heavy breathing.*

Kill streak: "IT NEVER STOPS."

"FREE ME."

Multikill: *guttural screaming*

"Finished."

Respawn: "AGAIN."

"Back into the maw."

*momentary panicked breathing*

Capture Point Contested: "Cleanse the point!"

"The point."

Capturing Point: "Capturing. Help."

Moving Payload: "Payload. Please."

"Bodies. Need more bodies."

Payload Stuck: "Stuck. Move it."

10 Seconds Remaining: "Go. Now."

Enemy Sighted: "It begins. They come."

Sniper Sighted: "Sniper. Watch."

Turret Sighted: "Turret."

Melee Kill: "Broken bones. Twisted bodies."

"STOP."

Solo Kill: "Again and again, to the end of the end."

"Another."

Headshot: "Quickly. Gently."

Witnesses a kill: "Good. Again?"

Health Pack: "…Not today."

"Thank you."

Teleport: "hhhHNNGH"

"Back."

Shielded/Armored: "Good. Thank you."

Enemy Resurrects: "No. NO! GO BACK! GO BACK!"

"I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!"

Friendly Resurrection: "No more..."

"Never done. Never, never done."

Enemy Teleporter Nearby: "Teleporter. Find it. Break it."

Discord Orb: "No. Not again, not now."

"Lying. You're LYING!"

Card is upgraded post-match: "… oh."

"... Thank you."

 **Special Interactions**

 _Maps_

Any  
  
"Falling. Everywhere we fall."

King's Row

"It's starting again. Why?"

Nepal  
  
*tired* "It's quiet. So quiet."

 _Characters_

Zenyatta: Peace is but a moment's effort away. If you would simply allow me to-  
Solus: No. No. The flames they- they've already consumed me.

Mercy: Will you let me heal you this time? The least you can do is let me fix your physical wounds.  
Solus: Okay. Sorry. So, so sorry.

D. Va: Hey, nice exo-suit! What are the specs?  
Solus: I… I don't remember anymore. I can't.

Solus: Regrets make us what we are. What we'll always be.  
Roadhog: Shut up.

Solus: We can't go back there. It will consume us all.  
Winston: I understand what you went through, but we need to reach for the stars again one day. It's necessary for further discovery.

*Kills Reaper*  
"Not today. Not today."

*Kills Winston*  
"Never again, Winston. Never again."


	2. Chapter 1

_Man's history began with fire._

* * *

He wasn't even really breathing as he shot in a direction he could only describe as forward. His heart was pumping, and he could feel air passing into and out of his lungs, but his body was numbed by his own anticipation. The console to his right told him all he needed. 500 kilometers to his destination. In just a moment, he'd be welcomed as the youngest member on the most advanced space station ever built by human beings.

He could practically see it, despite the lack of windows in his little pod. Vulcan Space Station, mankind's operating base for all future space exploration, populated by people of many different ages, races, and mentalities.

It was a dream. From the moment he stepped on that station, he would be on the front lines of discovery, working alongside Earth's best and brightest.

* * *

 _All that we are began with that simple moment where we took nature's fury and contained it._

* * *

His suit was bulky and strange, forcing him to take long, ponderous strides. In order to make space for the pneumatic thrusters and the tubing to his plasma torch, The arms (elbows in particular) stuck out to the sides more than he was used to. The equipment on the back gave him a hunch, weighed down by a large gas tank and a massive portable reactor. It felt more like a walking tank than standard safety gear, especially when he saw how huge and lumpy his shadow was.

He took a heavy step towards the bay doors as the prep crew beckoned him towards the edge of the station, he and two others dressed in similar suits. The crew buckled themselves and their equipment down before locking in the room.

Saul saw the doors shudder for just a brief moment before they launched open, taking with them the entirety of the air within the exit bay. The crew stayed put, but the engineering suits were yanked out with little ceremony.

Saul watched as the station in his peripheral vision pulled away, leaving him in the void beyond it. Impossibly far, in all directions, was empty space. The ultimate void of the heavens, easily swallowing him whole in its vast grasp. Nothing and no one, forever in the distance.

A concerned question from the chief brought Saul back to reality. He turned back to find his fellow engineers already opening a panel and warming up their thermal cutters.

Of course. He had a job to do.

* * *

 _From that moment, we learned and grew. No mystery was too great. No goal too distant._

* * *

He saw the tension in the room before the source. Hushed tones filled the air as the crowd in the center of the cafeteria split, revealing an Omnic in a lab coat being helped towards the medical bay by security. In the opposite direction, an armed guard dragged out a crewman, who was loudly complaining.

As Saul sat down with his meal, he picked up bits of conversation. The human bumped into the Omnic, which immediately led to an argument. Words turned to violence and the Omnic was struck down, leaving a dent in his cranial carriage. He would need a great deal of work.

 _It's nothing,_ Saul had thought. _Just a little fight. It happens._

* * *

 _With this ambition came hubris. Not long after we mastered our earth, we turned to the stars._

* * *

The news was massive when it hit the station. A miniature asteroid had drifted close enough to Earth for Vulkan to drift over and trap it in a gravity cage, keeping it suspended while cutting it open. Somehow, there was a biological growth inside that had been flourishing without oxygen or water, instead feeding off of a gas on the inside of the asteroid that was capable of regenerating itself without additional energy. It was a monumental discovery, one that flew in the face of energy scarcity and defied the first law of thermodynamics.

It was astounding. Infinite energy was within grasp. No longer would fuel and energy dictate the limits of technology.

The future had come.

* * *

 _It was too far. We stretched beyond our natural bounds, a defiance beyond our meager existence._

* * *

Saul was taking cover as the shouting got worse. No one had thrown anything yet, but being seen wouldn't do him any favors. Just around the corner of the wall he was pressed against, he could hear venom being spat from both sides. No one was offering a ceasefire.

Saul was mentally debating whether he should walk in there and try to convince someone to stop fighting when he heard that fatal sound. The harsh, sudden sound of breaking glass.

Saul blinked, then peeked around the corner, curiosity and concern overcoming him.

Green. So much green. On the floor, the walls, the people. Bodies began running, but the green was spreading. A cloying, festering mass, almost like moss or rotten fungus, crawled rapidly along every available surface.

He had heard about this. Z-33. Classified bioweapon.

He ran. He ran to the only place he knew, and that was the engineering wing.

* * *

 _Our mastery became our doom. Our hubris was our fall._

* * *

He was sweating as he wandered down the shaft. His suit, his coffin of titanium alloy, scraped along the walls. Light greeted him, taunting him as he lumbered his way towards him.

Behind him was the end. Blackened walls and charred bodies, reaching towards him in the search for salvation. Salvation granted to them by grasping flames. There was no more green on the station, for it was slain in his crusade. In his hands were not tools, but implements that granted him the power to destroy the evil gripping his former home.

It wasn't enough. The green would come again, swallowing up all that he had done. His great effort would only last him long enough to grasp the power of the heavens, taken form in the center of Vulcan. A reactor with enough radioactive emission to destroy everything.

He could see it now, towering above him. It was glowing gently, waiting to be set free.

Failsafes disengaged. Coolant blocked. Redundant systems destroyed. The stationed shuddered, as if it could feel the end coming.

He watched as the light grew, threatening to envelope him. In its grasp, the station would fall, evaporating in the atmosphere as all biological life onboard was incinerated.

He dropped his holy torch, letting it hang from its gas tube as he fell to his knees. He felt the shuddering of the station, knowing it was just beginning to break orbit and re-enter the atmosphere. If all was lost, Vulcan's creators wanted the wreckage to be salvaged.

He was to disappear with the station, wreathed in flames and released from his torment.

It would be beautiful.

* * *

 _We end as we begin._

 _With fire._


End file.
